Safeguarding the Capital's Architectural Legacy: A City Reconstructing Itself in the Shadow of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. Volunteers had affectionately dubbed its elegant transom window the “pastry”, a playful reference to its arched shape. “I think it’s more of a peacock,” she commented, admiring its branch-like details. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who commemorated the work with two impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an act of resistance in the face of a neighboring state, she explained: “We are trying to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. Fear does not drive us of staying in Ukraine. The possibility to emigrate existed, starting anew to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance shows our commitment to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s built legacy could be considered strange at a moment when aerial assaults regularly target the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, offensive operations have been dramatically stepped up. After each attack, workers board up broken windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Among the Conflict, a Battle for Beauty

In the midst of war, a group of activists has been attempting to preserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was initially the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its facade is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon today,” Danylenko said. The building was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby exhibit analogous art nouveau features, including asymmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a small tower on the other. One popular house in the area boasts two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Dual Dangers to Legacy

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who raze historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a political leadership indifferent or resistant to the city’s rich architectural history. The severe winter climate presents another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We don’t have substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s leadership was allied with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov further alleged that the plan for the capital comes straight out of a different time. The mayor rejects these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once defended older properties were now engaged in combat or had been lost. The ongoing conflict meant that everyone was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see degradation of our society and public institutions,” he argued.

Loss and Neglect

One egregious demolition site is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had committed to preserve its attractive brick facade. Shortly following the full-scale invasion, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new shopping and business centre, monitored by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while stating they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A previous regime also wrought immense damage on the capital, redesigning its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could facilitate large-scale parades.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most renowned advocates of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was lost his life in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his important preservation work. There were initially 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s prosperous entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their original doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that got rid of them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful creeper-covered house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and authentic railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now not a thing will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not value the past? “Sadly they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to move towards the west. But we are still a way off from such cultural awareness,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking remained, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Resilience in Restoration

Some buildings are crumbling because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons roosted among its broken windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we are unsuccessful,” she admitted. “Preservation work is therapy for us. We are attempting to save all this heritage and aesthetic value.”

In the face of destruction and development pressures, these activists continue their work, one building at a time, stating that to rebuild a city’s identity, you must first protect its history.